LUNCH LARGESS

Principals have had to face budget crunches, teacher layoffs, and balancing class sizes; but with the latest orders from the Department of Education (DOE), add – debt collectors.
“We reminded principals about updating their records and notified them numerous times this year that starting in February unpaid lunch fees will be deducted from their budgets,” said DOE spokesperson Marge Feinberg.
Councilmember Mark Weprin, representing District 23, sent a letter to the DOE and noted that parents who have always paid for their children’s school meals on time have been paying the price two-fold.
“Responsible parents end up paying twice, first for the lunch and second to cover the monies the freeloaders owe,” Weprin indicated.
Parents have been paying for lunch fees they are not responsible for, but still want their kids to eat.
“Why is it coming down short?” said Satish Rayappa. “Parents have to pay extra and it’s not fair for kids to starve in school.”
Rayappa, who works in Woodside and is father of two seventh and eighth graders, noted that the state makes enough money to cover all of these costs. “It comes down to who is handling the budget.”
According to Weprin, schools have kept a record of students who have eaten at the cafeterias, but are unable to pay for their lunches.
“Last year, they said schools had to collect the money,” Weprin said. “The DOE for years never collected it.”
Taking away money from the school budgets has affected everyone by resulting in reduced school programs and classes.
“To ask for this money from the schools’ budget is unfair to principals, teachers, and students,” said Weprin.
Weprin advises that, instead of cutting back on school budgets, the DOE should be targeting scofflaw parents. “They should have a centralized system to monitor who is behind the unpaid lunch fees.”
But the DOE has tried to reach out to parents who have not been paying the lunch fees.
“The department has made an enormous effort in recent years to get the word out to families about the importance of returning their meal forms,” said Feinberg. “We charge $1.50 for elementary or high school lunch.”
The notifications have presented heavy pockets blows for parents and newly created promotions for administrators.
“The DOE never collected these fees, now they want to turn principals into collection agencies,” Weprin said.